INSPIRA1: Industrial applications of spirulina

Program of R&D activities between research groups of “Comunidad de Madrid”, co-funded with the European Social Fund, coordinated by CIB-CSIC.

The program presented here opens a unique and pioneering technological opportunity in the CM for improving the production and properties of the bacterial microalgae "spirulina" or Arthrospira (Spirulina) platensis, a n industrially important bluegreen cyanobacterium because it is cultured worldwide at large scale due to its high nutritional value for human and animal food.

The technological platform INSPIRA1 proposes as the main scientific and technological objective to develop biotechnological tools to improve the bacteria and optimize the biomass production for various purposes. The first one is to achieve more efficient cultures, productive and nutritious for direct use as food and feed. The second one is to achieve the industrial production of nutraceutical and pharmaceutical compounds from the microalgae, such as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA).